Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to an air circulation type fan. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a unique air circulation type fan having a unique fan guard, a unique motor position, and a unique mounting system, all making the fan especially adapted for utilization in an agricultural setting, such as in a poultry barn.
In agricultural settings, such as in poultry or cattle barns, the air is usually stirred with fans. Particularly, the air flow requirements in such agricultural settings are typically addressed with a box-type fan. A conventional box-type fan has a housing of sheet metal or other solid material forming a periphery about the fan. A venturi is typically mounted within the box of the fan to enhance the air flow generated by the fan. In hot seasons, box type fans are primarily positioned within the walls of a barn, so as to draw air from inside the barn, through the fan, to the exterior of the barn. These wall mounted box fans stir the air within the barn, thus providing a cooling effect.
It is also common for box-type fans to be positioned not only in the walls of a barn, but to have an array of such fans suspended from the ceiling of the barn. The fans serve to stir the air and, particularly, to move a curtain of air from one fan to the next, thus providing a cooling effect within the barn. With box-type fans in both the barn walls and suspended within the barn, the fans provide a stirring ventilation within the barn.
Conventional box-type fans present a number of drawbacks. One primary drawback of box-type fans is that the box structure of the fan actually serves to block air, thus creating dead zones around the fan. Thus, in an environment in which a great number of box-type fans are utilized, as is often the case, the fans actually serve to interrupt air flow, in an undesirable fashion. Additionally, box-type fans utilize a great deal of material, and are thus expensive to manufacture. Box-type fans are also cumbersome to install and difficult to position or reposition as desired.
In contrast to a conventional box-type fan, air circulation fans have been used widely in manufacturing environments, such as automobile fabrication plants, for the purpose of cooling workers. Conventional air circulator fans incorporate a fan guard assembly having front and rear fan guard members detachably connected to each other. Each front and rear fan guard member forms a concave, dish-shaped grill. In such conventional air circulator fans, the rear fan guard member has a central opening for receiving a portion of an electrical motor. The motor is secured by fasteners to the rear fan guard member, and any conventional propeller or blade arrangement is attached to the electrical motor.
While conventional air circulator type fans are very useful in commercial and industrial environments, they are not applicable in agricultural settings, and particularly poultry barns. In this regard, attempting to use a conventional air circulator fan in a poultry barn would cause loose feathers present in the barn to collect on the grille of the guard members, thus clogging the fan. Additionally, in order to achieve the desired air movement in a poultry barn, the type of propeller assembly, and particularly the type of fan blades, used on a conventional box-type fan are much larger and heavier than the type of propeller assembly and blades utilized on a conventional air circulator. Any attempt to replace the blades conventionally used on an air circulator with those conventionally used in a box-type fan would greatly increase the motor requirement for the air circulator, thus making the fan cost prohibitive. Accordingly, although air circulator fans are less expensive to manufacture than a conventional box-type fan, they are wholly inapplicable to meet the needs found in typical agricultural settings, such as poultry barns.
Accordingly, the need exists for an inexpensive fan for utilization in an agricultural setting, such as a poultry barn, which overcomes the drawbacks of the box-type fan. Additionally, the need exists for an air circulator type fan that may be used in an agricultural setting, such as a poultry barn. The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art, and meets these and other needs.